Metro News & Reviews

What would budget proposal do to Metro?

We finally have some hard numbers, although I caution to take this with a grain of salt since it’s never over until it’s over when it comes to the state budget in California.

That said, here are the numbers that Metro government relations staff presented to the Board of Directors’ Executive Management Committee on Thursday morning:

Under funding formulas in the current law, Los Angeles County should receive $233 million in state transit assistance money in the next fiscal year. In the proposal under review in the State Senate, L.A. County would only get $120 million of that.

The difference grows even more in fiscal year 2012 when L.A. County should receive $233 million but would only get $70 million.

This is one reason — but not the only one — that Metro is grappling with a projected budget deficit in the next fiscal year of about $180 million, according to the most recent projection. Agency officials have already said they’ll look at service cuts as one way to make up for the shortfall.